Get Lucky

If you don’t know what I’m referencing with the title, go check out Daft Punk’s latest album… I’ve had this song on repeat for the past 24 hours -it is that good.

But I’m also refering to (not) getting caught wearing the previous day’s outfit. You might get lucky… or not.



shirt: zara, jeans: weekday, coat: h&m, trainers: nike

In my case, the ultimate sartorial faux pas was committed by necessity: I was sick and sleep-deprived, so (obviously) I overslept for a meeting with a teacher. I grabbed the first clothes I found on my couch… which happened to be the previous day’s outfift (in my defense, they were reasonably clean!). Now, in the event someone noticed -I rationalized-, the whole thing would envelop me in an alluring veil of mystery: maybe she slept somewhere else yesterday! Maybe she slept in her clothes to save time for studying! Maybe she’s depressed and doesn’t give a f*! Maybe she thinks she’s a cartoon character! Maybe no-one cares! Hmmm…. ok, you get the point.



These days I’m all about comfort, which is why I’m constantly wearing my Nikes… and I’m actually warming up to them (aesthetically speaking).

And when your face looks like shit because you’re still wearing yesterday’s makeup (not a look I recommend, but it happens to the best of us), well, this is where having long hair comes in handy. I use mine as a shield against the world -especially when combined with sunglasses (unfortunately you can’t wear those indoors unless you’re famous)…Here, observe my newest practice of lazy styling: I tuck my hair into my shirt (remember this was trending last year?)… except my hair is all in the front. That way my face is reassuringly enveloped in a hairy halo.







Another point of focus were my hands. I love wearing a lot of rings, and surely when so much is going on on my hands, no-one will even notice the dark circles under my eyes!?



Sometimes -and I really mean sometimes only!- more is more.

Shine a light (please?)

With today’s title I wish not only to show how knowledgeable I am in old music by making a clin d’oeil to the Rolling Stones, but also to drop a subtle hint to the master of the Universe on the subject of Amsterdam. Let the sun shine a little, dude*!




shirt: thrifted, sweater: american vintage, beanie (slowly creeping up): cheap monday, bermudas: h&m, trainers: nike, coat: h&m

As you can see, the weather is back to normal November mode, so I had no choice but to wear my bathrobe winter coat** in late f*ing May (well, technically I could choose to freeze.) …let’s just say it’s a good thing I love it. The odd thing with me is that unless it’s zero degrees or something, my legs aren’t really cold, so since they were, for once, hair-free, I decided to wear bermudas. With a winter coat, yeah. In my defence, I never claimed I was completely normal. (Also, I really don’t feel like wearing tights right now… doesn’t that ever happen to you?)







Otherwise, this outfit is pretty simple. I usually tuck things into my bottom (observe here, for example), so lately I’ve been trying to change it up a little. I’m not fully convinced with the result (short sweater + long shirt) here, but it’s a change from the preppier tucked-in version (see below).



Lastly, the lack of makeup is due to the fact that I have finals (just take a look at my desk!) and I can’t be bothered with such trivial matters anymore. I’d rather sleep ten more minutes in the morning, and I sure aren’t going to put on makeup just to take some pictures. Thankfully I have a cold, so the red nose compliments my complexion, making it all good! …not.

Oh well, at least my nails are camera-ready this time! (I looove having painted nails… but they take ages to dry, so I seldom paint them)





* note:  I am not suggesting that MoU is a man. ‘Dude’ is unisex as far as I’m concerned ;)

** it does look like a bathrobe from behind, right? In a good way, of course.

Double trouble, part 2.

#1: t-shirt: american vintage, sweater: weekday, jeans: massimo dutti, booties: h&m, coat, h&m.



This outfit was worn on a chilly night out and yes, I had to bring back the coat (much to my chagrin).



#2: sweater, tee and shoes as before, denim jacket: tommy hilfiger thrifted, shorts: zara, whoopie: courtesy of Albert Heijn ;)

This was my Queensday outfit. Even though it was April 30th and sunny, spending a lot of time outdoors means being able to adjust to several different temperatures, which requires careful layering…

…and a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll.




Conclusion from this series: the only problem with discovering a great new combo is that you find yourself wearing it again and again…also, this t-shirt should have its own blog by now, but never mind(?)

My birthday & another of my "massive" problems...

Today is my birthday, and I have every intention of spending it doing nothing …oops, wait a second. Finals. Ok, I’ll spend it trying to study. Love what you do, and you’ll be a happy woman, they say.

But that’s not my problem! You thought I was gonna complain about work again, right? Wrong! I have another problem for you! Remember my blue jeans? The ones I wear all the time, because they are the only pair of blue jeans I own? Well, they have been slowly but steadily ripping at the crotch, which (for me at least, if not or everyone) means I need to replace them ASAP. Now, do we really need to go over why jeans-shopping is a nightmare again? No? Every woman gets it? Good. At least I’m not alone.

…now, surely I’m allowed to do some shopping on my birthday, right?

Double trouble, part 1.

…Two slightly different grey tees (you can never have enough, mind you), two similar outfits.



#1: t-shirt: american vintage, denim jacket: tommy hilfiger, thrifted, pants: american vintage, shoes: aniel.





I wore a black thin hoodie under my jacket when it got colder -and red lipstick, which I’ve been seriously abusing, who am I kidding.




#2: t-shirt: random old dad’s, pants and jacket as before, shoes: oysho.

For the second outfit, I just substituted the first tee with a gray oversize one that I tucked into my pants -because these pants are loose and not structured, leaving it out would have made it look as though I was wearing pajamas… the shoes also helped smarten it a bit. And I added a pendant for a change. Finally, I’ve found that if your hair is shit, it always helps to use your sunglasses as a hair accessory ;)


As you can see I’m doing weird things in these pictures, to keep people from noticing my lack of originality… Oh well, famous artists like Magritte did many variations on the same theme, so I must be doing something right, right?

SORTED Red Lentil Risotto

Link: SORTED Red Lentil Risotto

This recipe is the awesomest -AND healthy!

Pink lady

cotton knit top: made by my grandma, blazer: american vintage, jeans: massimo dutti, shoes: oysho.


You might think, innocently enough, that the title of this post is referred to my pink top, but I’m actually talking about pink lady apples, aka the best apples ever. My local supermarket used to sell them for a high price -fair enough; if you want fancy apples you’ll have to pay a fancy price-, but they just stopped stocking them altogether. Grrr.

Also, I just realized that you can’t really see the knitted pattern on my top; I should’ve taken a close up. I’m kicking myself -but only mentally, because otherwise that would be abuse.

So today, I’m an angry pink lady. And I wore red lipstick to compliment the pink. And I’ve had no idea what I’m doing with my hair for as long as I remember. I want to have really long hair for once in my life, but at the same time I really want to cut it shoulder length… What should I do,o gods?

How was Berlin?

I decided not to re-shoot the outfits that I wore in Berlin; instead, I am going to use some of the pictures that my friends and I took on our trip (and give you an idea of what we’ve been up to!)

Here goes…

Day 1

Reading about the 3rd Reich in front of the Bradenburger Tor…



Having a laugh at the Tiergarten…



Chilling by the Berlin Wall…



Post-curryworst power nap :)



I wore my new (thrifted) zara tee, weekday jeans, my dad’s old massimo dutti denim shirt, and my nike trainers.

Day 2

Jewish Museum all-day experience











Looking for street art…



Picnic



I wore; massimo dutti jeans, my new thrifted silk shirt, aniel shoes, red lipstick, and my denim shirt. I didn’t realize that I was going for a double denim look, but at the end of the day it doesn’t look terrible… And besides: I’m a tourist, and everyone knows that tourists and style do not go together!

Day 3

I need the loo in front of the Hamburger Museum…



Wearing the slippers provided by the museum to walk on a work of art…



I found some shoes!





With my friend and Blue Guy



I wore an old white tee of my dad’s, thrifted men’s shirt, massimo dutti jeans, nike trainers.

Ready for a night out…




Vietnamese food-obsessed…



And chilling by the Berlin Wall, like a boss.



I changed my tee for my silk shirt, and wore my nikes for my oysho wedge sandals. I also used my DIY newspaper clutch -I’m wondering whether to make a post explaining how to make them…  

Airport outfit (or: the one time it would be insane to wear heels)

t-shirt: COS (thrifted), blazer: thrifted, jeans: massimo dutti, shoes: aniel



What better way to wear my new top than paired with my blazer and jeans? Very good-girl ;)

The only problem is that these jeans are giving up the ghost, and I am nowhere near finding a replacement!

A better look at what I wore on my wrists: my watch and a (friendship) bracelet from guatemala…



…and the bracelet my mom surprised me for my graduation last year. I keep it minimal when it comes to arm candy :)




And last but not least, roaming the streets of Berlin at midnight trying to find our hostel! Why is it that I always start laughing hysterically in these situations?

Fascinated by my feet...?

pants: mom’s old, T-shirt: american vintage


…or just camera-shy?

Either way, this is a very simple outfit and I <3 it. I think the colours go really well together. The reason I’m not wearing any shoes is that it’s too mainstream I only went to a friend’s place, and we live in the same building :)

New in -more thrifting

striped T-shirt: COS (thrifted), grey T-shirt: Zara (thrifted)

I bought these two -quite basic- T-shirts for 3 euros total. I used to only wear T-shirts to work out, but I’ve been really warming up to them lately :)

I’ve been looking everywhere for the perfect breton top but it’s proven to be quite elusive… (I’d like it to be thick cotton, with thin navy blue stripes) But this one is a nice twist on the breton, and I find that it eludes that “I-just-got-off-my-boat” air ;) It’ll also make a nice beach cover-up.




As for the grey T-shirt, it’s linen (again, I’m really into natural fabrics, they’re breathable, durable and more flattering), a perfect fit, and cropped. It’s not really that short, but I think it definitely needs to be worn with something high-waisted.




Conclusion: Ijhallen rocks, right?

On sustainable fashion

silk shirt: thrifted


Lately I’ve found myself less interested in ‘trendy’ clothes; rather, I aim to find the perfect basics: a wardrobe with quality clothes that won’t go out of style and that I can pair effortlessly. For me, it’s also about wearing what is “me”: I see fashion as an inspiration for my style, not as a dictat on what I should be wearing.

And while I’ve never been one to follow trends in any major way, I’m also trying to move away from “fast fashion”: cheap, low-quality clothes that we buy without thinking about it, without really liking, then discard a season later to buy some new stuff. These clothes might be cheap, but the cost adds up, and I’m not just talking about our wallets. It’s simply not sustainable to keep consuming low-quality garments that get replaced every few months; the toll on the environment is far too high. Not to mention the impossible labour conditions of the people that make these clothes.

I’m not saying I have stopped shopping in the high street… but I have become a more conscious shopper. I try to determine what I need in my wardrobe (I don’t want it to be cluttered with clothes I barely or never wear -more on my wardrobe edits to come), and I aim to get the best quality possible, because I know that I’ll be keeping these garments for a long time. And as a student on a budget, this is where thrift shopping comes in. You can find great quality clothes for very little money, you’re not tempted to follow trends, picking, instead, what you genuinely like, and you have zero guilt about the environment because you’re not burdening it with the energy expenses, gas emissions and chemicals that result from garment production. Ivania has discussed this topic several times (here, for example), and is the main reason I’ve been thinking so much about sustainable fashion lately.



A great example is this navy silk shirt I bought at a vintage store recently: it’s real silk(I was so excited… I’m sick of fake, imitation, man-made materials!), it has beautiful, real shell buttons and it’s in perfect condition. Yes, it is pre-owned, but the vintage store had cleaned it and ironed it, and it was as good as new -that’s luxury thrift shopping if you ask me! And for this gem, I paid the same money I would have paid at H&M for a cheap-looking polyester shirt. Crazy, huh?